qmk_firmware/docs/feature_layouts.md
Evan Travers 08c682c193 Docs: Add docs for the LAYOUT_* macro to layouts (#3772)
When moving my planck layout to my let's split, I ran into this issue
because I had copied my planck layout from the default layout which just
used the `{}` array form for the keymap layers. I checked the docs, but
this bit wasn't clear to me. I'm sure @ishtob or @drashna helped me on
discord, but this seemed to be the logical place to add a helpful hint.
2018-08-28 17:35:24 -07:00

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Markdown

# Layouts: Using a Keymap with Multiple Keyboards
The `layouts/` folder contains different physical key layouts that can apply to different keyboards.
```
layouts/
+ default/
| + 60_ansi/
| | + readme.md
| | + layout.json
| | + a_good_keymap/
| | | + keymap.c
| | | + readme.md
| | | + config.h
| | | + rules.mk
| | + <keymap folder>/
| | + ...
| + <layout folder>/
+ community/
| + <layout folder>/
| + ...
```
The `layouts/default/` and `layouts/community/` are two examples of layout "repositories" - currently `default` will contain all of the information concerning the layout, and one default keymap named `default_<layout>`, for users to use as a reference. `community` contains all of the community keymaps, with the eventual goal of being split-off into a separate repo for users to clone into `layouts/`. QMK searches through all folders in `layouts/`, so it's possible to have multiple repositories here.
Each layout folder is named (`[a-z0-9_]`) after the physical aspects of the layout, in the most generic way possible, and contains a `readme.md` with the layout to be defined by the keyboard:
```md
# 60_ansi
LAYOUT_60_ansi
```
New names should try to stick to the standards set by existing layouts, and can be discussed in the PR/Issue.
## Supporting a Layout
For a keyboard to support a layout, the variable must be defined in it's `<keyboard>.h`, and match the number of arguments/keys (and preferably the physical layout):
#define LAYOUT_60_ansi KEYMAP_ANSI
The name of the layout must match this regex: `[a-z0-9_]+`
The folder name must be added to the keyboard's `rules.mk`:
LAYOUTS = 60_ansi
`LAYOUTS` can be set in any keyboard folder level's `rules.mk`:
LAYOUTS = 60_iso
but the `LAYOUT_<layout>` variable must be defined in `<folder>.h` as well.
## Tips for Making Layouts Keyboard-Agnostic
### Includes
Instead of using `#include "planck.h"`, you can use this line to include whatever `<keyboard>.h` (`<folder>.h` should not be included here) file that is being compiled:
#include QMK_KEYBOARD_H
If you want to keep some keyboard-specific code, you can use these variables to escape it with an `#ifdef` statement:
* `KEYBOARD_<folder1>_<folder2>`
For example:
```c
#ifdef KEYBOARD_planck
#ifdef KEYBOARD_planck_rev4
planck_rev4_function();
#endif
#endif
```
Note that the names are lowercase and match the folder/file names for the keyboard/revision exactly.
### Keymaps
In order to support both split and non-split keyboards with the same layout, you need to use the keyboard agnostic `LAYOUT_<layout name>` macro in your keymap. For instance, in order for a Let's Split and Planck to share the same layout file, you need to use `LAYOUT_ortho_4x12` instead of `LAYOUT_planck_grid` or just `{}` for a C array.